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Eric Sanders

Eric Sanders: A Civil Rights Lawyer Fighting for You

Eric Sanders is the owner and president of The Sanders Firm, P.C., a new generation law firm concentrating in civil rights. Prior to  establishing his own law firm, Eric was the Managing Attorney of another New York City Area law firm. Over the past nineteen years, he has counseled thousands of clients, handling a diverse range of complex legal matters including the police use of force, sexual harassment and other related civil rights.

Working with You

Eric is devoted to working with you and making sure that your complaint is handled in an equitable manner so that you find justice. With The Sanders Firm, P.C., Eric has created a law firm with a paradigm that provides the benefits of a traditional legacy law firm without the procedural, structural, and economic inefficiencies. Everything is focused on ensuring that you receive the finest ‘personal’ legal representation possible.

As a lawyer passionate about individualism and self-actualization, Eric is focused specifically on cases in which individual rights have been violated. Eric tends to represent ‘unpopular’ causes and ‘clients.’ He is devoted to finding the correct solution for each client. In working for and with you, Eric offers personal service at a variable cost that is significantly lower than the legacy law firm model.

Professional Organizations

As the president of The Sanders Firm, P.C., Eric is the past member of several legal professional organizations including the National Employment Lawyer’s Association (NELA), National Employment Lawyer’s Association-New York Chapter (NELA/NY), American Bar Association (ABA), New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), and the American Association for Justice (AAJ). Eric has also served as past General Counsel to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives-New York Chapter (NOBLE/NY). As a retired police officer, he held several memberships with professional law enforcement organizations including the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

Education, Qualifications and Awards

Prior to creating The Sanders Firm, P.C., Eric earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Adelphi University where he graduated with high honors. He then attended and graduated from the St. John’s University School of Law. Eric, who holds a license to practice law in the New York State Courts as well as the federal courts, practices in the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of New York. Also, in connection with his representation of clients, Eric has appeared before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), New York State Division of Human Rights (NYSDHR), NYPD Trial Room, New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), New York City Civil Service Commission (NYCCSC), various state and local courts and other legal venues.

Over the years, Eric received the You Can Go to College Committee Foundation Humanitarian Award; 2016 Man of the Year Award from The Culvert Chronicles, USA; 2016 NAACP – New York Branch Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks “Keeper of the Flame” Award and 2017 St. John’s University School of Law Black Law Student Association (BLSA) Alumni Service Award.

Over the years, Eric has appeared throughout the United States and covered on several media outlets including CBS News, NBC News, the Today Show, Fox News, ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC Nightline, CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New York Post, the New York Daily News and many others as a subject matter commentator regarding police use of force, sexual harassment and other related civil rights.

Lecture

Lectures and Seminars

Eric is available to speak about the law, specifically individual civil rights as well as other areas. Over the years, he appeared as a panelist for a legal symposium hosted by the St. John’s University School of Law’s Journal for Civil Rights and Economic Development (JCRDE). At the symposium, which was titled “Criminal Justice in the 21st Century: The Challenge to Protect Individual Freedoms, Civil Rights, and Our Safety,” he discussed “Racial Profiling, Police Accountability and Individual Rights.” Recently, he appeared as a panelist for a legal symposium hosted by the Columbia Law School Black Law Student Association (BLSA) celebrating The 23rd Annual Paul Robeson Conference titled: “Reclaim the Narrative.” He discussed “Revolutionary Art, Activism, and the Law.”

Settlements and Ongoing Litigation

Over the years, Eric using his unique sometimes ‘firebrand’ style, was able to recover millions of dollars for his clients. Of particular note, about six years ago, Eric obtained a plaintiff’s verdict in Larry Jackson v. City of New York, et al.,: BROOKLYN FEDERAL JURY AWARDS ‘BEATEN AND FALSELY ARRESTED’ BLACK NYPD COP $15 MILLION https://www.thesandersfirmpc.com/brooklyn-federal-jury-awards-beaten-and-falsely-arrested-black-nypd-cop-15-million/.

After nine hard fought years, Eric settled this matter: FINALLY, CITY SETTLES NYPD ASSAULT CASE FOR $5 MILLION https://www.thesandersfirmpc.com/finally-city-settles-nypd-assault-case-for-5-million/.

In 2017, the Jackson verdict was listed in the New York Leaders in the Law published in conjunction with New York Magazine using data compiled on LexisNexis, as the eighth highest civil rights verdict in the state of New York between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016. Of particular note, Eric was the only solo practitioner and of color. To this day, the Jackson verdict remains in the one of the highest civil rights verdicts in the United States.

Within the last few years, Eric has successfully settled:

  • Barry Brown v. City of New York, et al., EDNY 16 cv 01106 settled on May 11, 2018, for $220k (race discrimination regarding the misuse of psychological testing for the position of Deputy Sheriff, Department of Finance, City of New York);
  • Sean Harris v. City of New York, et al., EDNY 16 cv 00113 settled on May 11, 2018, for $220k (race discrimination regarding the misuse of psychological testing for the position of Deputy Sheriff, Department of Finance, City of New York);
  • Tara Johnson v. City of New York, et al., EDNY 16 03647 settled on May 11, 2018, for $205k (race discrimination regarding the misuse of psychological testing for the position of Deputy Sheriff, Department of Finance, City of New York);
  • Shemalisca Vasquez v. City of New York, et al., Bronx Supreme 306225-2012, settled on December 13, 2018, for $300k (‘quid pro quo’ sexual harassment in the NYPD);
  • Larry Jackson v. City of New York, et al, EDNY 11 cv 3028, settled on January 5, 2019, for $5 million dollars (false arrest and related claims against other members of the NYPD);
  • Maribel Sarante v. City of New York, et al., EDNY 18 cv 1967, settled on August 26, 2019, for $125k (‘quid pro quo’ sexual harassment in the NYPD);
  • Tabetha T. Tyndale v. Extended Managed Long-Term Care, et al., EDNY 19 cv 00248, settled on September 5, 2019, for $255k (failure to notify and accommodate a nursing mothers legal right to express milk in the workplace);
  • Emily A. Brucato v. City of New York, et al., EDNY 20 cv 1772, settled on August 26, 2021, for $200k (‘quid pro quo’ sexual harassment in the NYPD);
  • Vanessa A. Weinbel v. City of New York, et al. EDNY 19 cv 6386, settled on October 12, 2021, for $190k (race discrimination, African American supervisor harassing a Caucasian female subordinate in the NYPD).

Over the years, Eric developed an interest in litigating a nursing mothers legal right to express milk in the workplace after receiving a call from Police Officer Jennifer Lavin (former NYPD) of the Incorporated Village of Muttontown Police Department. It’s an area of law Eric noticed no one seems to be asserting although such legal rights are available to the nursing mother.

In 2017, Eric filed and settled within six months Jennifer Lavin v. The Incorporated Village of Muttontown, et al. EDNY 17 cv 4928 District Judge Sandra J. Feuerstein presiding. In that case, a female police officer accused her employers of not accommodating her legal right to express milk in the workplace. District Judge Feuerstein ordered the mayor, police management and other officials to appear in court and she was very instrumental in helping the parties to reach a “speedy” resolution. About two years later, Eric filed and settled within eleven months Tabetha T. Tyndale v. Extended Managed Long-Term Care, et al. EDNY 19 cv 00248 Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy as the referral judge. In that case, a female nurse accused her employers of not accommodating her legal right to express milk in the workplace. This legal matter settled during the mediation process where Mediator Deborah Reik and Magistrate Levy were very instrumental in helping the parties to reach a “speedy” resolution.

Currently, Eric is in various stages of class certification and negotiating to settle several putative class action lawsuits involving more than 35k women for the employers’ failure to notify and accommodate a nursing mothers legal right to express milk in the workplace within the FDNY, NYPD and Department of Education (DOE). Most recently, Eric filed a similar legal action against the New York State Police regarding its failure to notify and accommodate a nursing mothers legal right to express milk in the workplace.

The Right Civil Rights Law Firm

As the owner and president of The Sanders Firm, P.C., Eric Sanders is an ardent proponent for civil rights, fighting against discrimination and abuse of power. If you believe your civil rights have been violated, contact us. The Sanders Firm, P.C. is your voice for justice.